Because of the complex and intricate manipulations which the human hand performs particularly in mechanical assembly operations, the evaluation and rehabilitative therapy of the human hand is especially difficult. For example, the repair or assembly of mechanical devices such as automotive engines and associated structures frequently requires the individual to assemble or disassemble complex mechanical parts in confined areas in which the parts being assembled or disassembled are either partially or totally obscured. Individuals who have suffered injury or loss of function therefore have a difficult program of rehabilitation even after the injury has otherwise been remedied. The acquisition of the fine motor and sensory manipulations required for example, to place a nut on a bolt in a confined area where the individual cannot see what he or she is doing can require painstaking and arduous effort.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a regimen and device for rehabilitative therapy and evaluation which permits the individual to practice the assembly and disassembly of nuts and bolts within a confined, closed space. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for such therapy and evaluation in which the individual cannot actually see the assembly or disassembly procedure which is being practiced. Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a device for rehabilitative therapy and evaluation in which the individual practices such therapy using only one hand in an environment in which the work cannot be seen. The attainment of these and other objects will however, be more readily apparent from the description of the present invention which follows.